>Put your euchre, bingo and bridge skills to the test by matching up with older adults with a lifetime of experience mastering these and other games.

Oakley House needs activity assistants to play bingo and games with the residents of its facility. Volunteers will also help residents make crafts and participate in special events. This position is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a flexible schedule is available. Volunteers should be at least 18 years of age.

“Oakley House Assisted Living is a great place to share your time and talents with truly wonderful people,” says Bridget Sharp, Oakley House Residence Director. “If you are looking for a place that cares not only about the residents but also about everyone who walks through our doors, then please think about spending some time with us at Oakley House.”

To learn more about this volunteer opportunity or other opportunities within our community, please contact HandsOn West Central Ohio at (937) 548-8002, ext. 211, or visit www.handsonwestcentralohio.org. HandsOn West Central Ohio, including Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, is a program of Council on Rural Services. This program receives funding from Darke County United Way, Corporation for National Service, Area Agency on Aging, PSA2, Darke County Commissioners, Lydia E. Shaurer Trust, Harry Stephens Trust, Greenville Rotary Club and the Darke County HOPE Foundation.

>The Great Darke County Fair is now over for 2010. This is the first fair that I have ever spent this much time attending. Normally, my wife, Rose, and I will go the fair once or twice and that’s it. This year, I spent an awful lot of time in the Republican tent meeting people from all over Darke County, and all over the country, really. I must admit that the fair has never been a huge part of summer for me, but this year, meeting all the people really made it enjoyable.

When ever you meet a divergent group of people, you always get a divergent group of ideas. Different views and ideas are a good thing and, believe me, I heard it all! Through all the discussion and airing of ideas, however, one theme seemed to run through every conversation: People are fed up with government. You may think that I only got the “Republican” view, but let me assure you, it was from all corners of the political spectrum. Republican, Democrat, Independent, Tea Party member, or Libertarian, it did not matter. There are a lot of angry people out there.

I can’t blame them. I can’t blame them for their anger, but I do blame all of us for letting it get to this point. We, the voters, have ignored our government for way too long. Our founders envisioned a minimalist form of government and in the past 65 years (since the end of World War II) the federal government, state governments and yes, local governments have grown enormously. With that growth comes an insatiable appetite for money to feed itself. It is unsustainable. Thomas Jefferson, probably the smartest of all the founding fathers said, “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”

The American people are now awake to that fact. They are angry at all the government intrusion in their lives. All the government mandates, programs, rules, and plain gobbled gook that comes out of Washington, state and local governments. They have a right to be angry, not only at government, but at themselves for letting it happen. Now, nationwide, we see this anger being portrayed everywhere by everyone. The people seem to be clamoring for a simpler way to do business. They want their representatives to be responsible, and responsive to their needs. No more ignoring the electorate or you will be voted out, as well the Senators, and representatives and others should be.

This November’s election will probably be historic in the turnover in Washington. The question is: Will this anger last, or will it be over after the election? Will there be a sense of accomplishment and now things are going to be o.k.? I hope not. I want people involved. I want people staying involved. I want an electorate that is informed and stays informed. We, as elected officials, need to have the public watching us constantly. If we don’t, we will end up just as we are now: broke, disconnected and angry. Let’s not get angry again. Let’s get involved and stay there!

“A government big enough to give you every thing you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Tired of looking at those old tires lying around? Not only are they an eye sore, they can be dangerous. The Darke County Solid Waste District and the Darke County Environmental Council want to help you with your tire problem. The district and council will be sponsoring a used tire collection on Thursday, September 23, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In addition to tires to being an eyesore, they are a nuisance to rural citizens who find them in their ditches, out in the fields and wooded areas. Used tires make the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes that can carry diseases such as West Nile Virus, Lascrosse Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, Dengue and Yellow Fever.

Some mosquitoes have long-lived eggs, which can remain unhatched for years in old tires that were one wet and have dried out. The eggs can be transported in tires that are trucked between counties, states and even countries. When it rains, these tires collect water, wetting the inside of the tires where the eggs once were deposited, hatching out mosquitoes by the thousands. By disposing of used tires properly, we reduce the chance of disease.

The Tire Recycling Day is open to all Darke County residents, farmers, municipalities and townships. Unfortunately, no tires will be accepted from junk yards or junk dealers, garages, auto repair shops; tire, automobile, truck, farm-equipment dealerships; atv/motorcycle shops or commercial trucking/hauling businesses.

Those interested in participating in this one-day event must pre-register. Pre-Registration begins Wednesday, September 1, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Darke County Solid Waste District, 603 Wagner Ave; Suite C, Greenville (with OSU Extension and the Job Center). Pre-registration ends on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. On September 6, 2010, the district will be closed due to the Labor Day holiday.

Participants are asked to remove rims from all tires before taking them to the Rumpke Transfer Station at 5474 Jaysville-St John Rd, Greenville, on September 23, 2009. Those tires left on rims will not be accepted. Passenger tires will be accepted FREE of charge, however, there is a limit of 50 tires per Darke County Address. Tractor tires pre-registered will be charged a $15.00 fee per tire at the time of registration. Tractor tires larger than 34” wide will not be accepted. Semi/Truck tires pre-registered will be charged a $5.00 per tire fee.

According to the Ohio Revised Code, all tires must be secured and tarped before arriving at the transfer station unless they are in an enclosed vehicle, trailer, etc. Untarped loads can be refused.

Assisting the Solid Waste District and Environmental Council will be Community Service Workers, the Environmental Division of the Darke County Health Department, Rumpke employees and many volunteers.

The City of Greenville & Greenville Transit System again offered Greenville residents “The Darke County Fair Park & Ride shuttle service.” The word is finally getting out that you don’t have to fight the fair traffic, you don’t have to pay to park or walk a long distance, but instead you can park at the Greenville Municipal building or the Darke County Offices on Wagner Avenue and be dropped off right at gate #3 for a mere 50 cents a person.

GTS provided 1,760 rides safely to and from the 2010 fair. This is an increase of 49% over last year. GTS provides wheelchair accessible vehicles and is a public transportation service open to the public. MV Transportation, Inc. provides the day-to-day operations.

The drivers and staff did a fantastic job and the City and MV received many compliments on the service. This service has been provided since 2003 and has continued to grow each year. Thank you to Greenville City Council and the City Administration for supporting public transportation in our community.

If you used this fair shuttle service or you use the regular GTS service, please call or write your Greenville City Council members and let them know how important GTS is to our community. To ride GTS, please call 547-1811.

>School starts this morning for many of the Darke County schools. Keep that in mind as you travel through the county, especially as the kids leave school from 2pm to 4pm. And now here’s something fun to start off your week … maybe the worst play in high school football history.